Back from the Grave
by shan14
Summary: After Temperrance went missing, Booth left the The FBI and moved to California. Two years later a call from his sister reunites Booth and the squints and may hold the key to solving an FBI cover up and finding the truth behind Tenperances disappearance.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Here is my thrid Bones fic. It's a bit darker than my last one so let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: i own nothing except Maura and Lilly.

Background info: Two year ago Temperance went missing. When Booth tried to investgate The Feds got involved and stopped him from finding her. After this Booth stopped working at the FBI and moved to California. The others still work at the Jefforsonian and believe that Temperance is dead. They haven't had any contact with Booth since he left. Maura is Booth's little sister.

Special Agent Maura Booth sat in her office looking over the files from her latest case.

Three women all found dead on the banks of the river that ran behind the town, none of whom had been reported missing even though the coroner said they had been dead for at least two weeks. Marks around their wrists, ankles and neck and bruises covering their bodies indicated they had been bound and hit with a large heavy object before they were strangled and tossed into the river. So far the FBI had found no ID's or connections between the girls and had no leads.

'Time to call in the big guns' thought Maura, picking up the phone.

Seely Booth looked up from the book in his lap to laugh at his six year old son Parker playing in the sand. "Look dad" said the boy running up to his father "I built you a castle" he said excitedly pointing at the mass of sand.

"Its great bud" said Booth "how about you go and get dressed so we can go out to dinner. Your mum's coming to pick you up tomorrow so I thought we would have a night out to celebrate you being down here"

"Cool." he said wrapping his arms around Booth "I wish I could stay living here forever with you instead of going back to stupid home with mum."

"Your home is not stupid Parker" he said picking up the little boy.

"Oh yeah than why did you leave" Parker challenged.

"Parker" said Booth getting frustrated "Just go and get dressed."

"Fine then" huffed the boy.

_Bring, Bring _"I'll get it" yelled Parker

"No you won't" said Booth running to grab the phone "Clothes. Now"

"Hello. Who is this" asked Booth.

"Hey there big bro" said Maura on the other side of the telephone.

"Hey, Maura" said Booth surprised. He hadn't heard from his little sister in over a year.

"I need your help Seely" said Maura "I have a case down here that we don't have the resources or men to solve. I wouldn't be ringing you because I know you don't like getting involved in Federal Cases anymore but this is really important to me and to the people in the town. Plus I know you have friends at the Jefforsonian and they could be really helpful for this case. Will you help me?" she asked "Please"

Booth sat back in his chair. Ever since the Fed's stopped Booth from solving Temperance's disappearance two years earlier he had hung up his badge and moved down to California completely cutting off all ties to Washington DC, but now Maura really sounded like she needed help. "Fine then" he answered. "But I'll only come down for a week, any longer than that and you on your own"

"Thankyou so much Seely. What about your friends from the Jefforsonian?" she asked.

"I'll ring them but they might be busy. Not to mention I don't even know if they are my friends anymore" he answered.

"Thankyou again" said Maura "Love you"

"I love you too" said Booth hanging up.

Maura sat back in her chair relieved. At least now she would have some extra help on the case. At only 25 years of age the FBI had sent her down to a small town to tackle any cases that came up around the area. Not to mention help the local sheriffs, some of which had know idea how to solve a stolen car let alone a murder.

"Hello" called her Maura's friend Taylor from the front door.

"Come in" Maura yelled back.

Maura's best friend Taylor Bronx had moved to the town just under two years ago. The two had immediately become friends after Taylor broke down in her office a day after finding out she was pregnant, and didn't know who the father was.

"Oh, well" Maura had told her "You'll be a great mother and I promise I will help you look after the baby. I have a nephew who I must say I am a master of looking after. Everything will be fine." Almost 8 months later Elizabeth Angela Bronx was welcomed to the world. Now at eleven months old Lilly, as everyone called her, had her mothers blue eyes and intelligence though as Taylor told everyone her fathers charm and smile.

"Hey there Lilly" said Maura as Taylor walked into her office carrying the tiny tot.

"Guess what" she said as soon as Taylor had sat down. "You know the case I've been working on, well I rang my brother and he said he would come down to lend a hand"

"You have a brother?" asked Taylor surprised.

"Yeah, he used to work for the FBI as well but then his partner went missing and they wouldn't let him solve the case for some reason, I'm not sure about the details, but after wards he wouldn't work for them anymore."

"Wow, that's pretty drastic" said Taylor

"Yeah, but I think he really loved her. It was that Forensic Anthropologist who wrote the book that you won't read. Um, I can't remember her name" said Maura.

"Temperance Brennen" whispered Taylor.

"Yeah, that's her. You okay Tay? You're looking a bit pale" asked Maura.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she said looking up "Maura, what's your brother's name?" she asked.

"Seely Booth" she answered "Why? You want to go out with him?" she teased.

"No. Could you look after Lilly for me I have to make a phone call?"

"Yeah sure" replied Maura confused.

Once outside Taylor grabbed her phone and dialled the number.

"John" she said "Special Agent Seely booth's coming"

"Okay" replied John "That's okay we can work around that"

"No John, getting around Maura was easy but now if he comes down they'll figure out what's going on. It's too dangerous. You know what Booth's like. From what you told me when he gets on a case he never gives up"

"Taylor, just stick to the plan. Everything will be okay if you stick to it. Okay. Now I have to go. Take care" John said hanging up the phone.

_Oh god_ thought Taylor _what have I gotten myself into now._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N here is chapter two. This is mainly Booth facing the squints and trying to resolve the tensions created when he left. This story is looking to be pretty long so i will be writing shorter chapters but updating most nights.**

Seeley Booth stood outside the Jefforsonian for the first time in two years. He had caught the plane to Washington DC earlier that morning figuring he would have a better chance of convincing the squints if he talked to them face to face. _That's if they want to talk to me _Booth thought grimly.

"Well its now or never" he said to himself walking through the doors of the museum.

"Hey Hodgins can you pass me the report from the case?" asked Cam walking past him.

"Here you go" he said looking up from his microscope. "Oh my god" he said looking past Cam at the man who had just walked in.

"Booth" said Cam more to herself than anyone else.

"Hi" he said quietly, shuffling his feet. With longer hair and a slightly unshaven face and wearing only a pair of old jeans and a white T-shirt Booth looked like he belonged at the back of an old bar, nothing like the clean shaven, suit wearing agent the squints had last seen.

"Can I talk to you guys?" he asked still not making eye contact with anyone.

"Um, yeah" said Cam shocked at Booth's sudden reappearance.

A few minutes later Booth found himself standing in Cam's office in front of his old squints.

"What are you doing here?" asked Angela, the hurt in her voice unmistakable.

"I need your help. My sister, Maura, lives in a small town about 10 hours from here. She kind off heads up the FBI down there and they have a new case that they need some help on. I don't know the details yet but she said that she could really use your help" Booth said looking up at the squints.

"Why would we want to help you Booth?" said Angela coldly.

"What?" he said shocked at Angela's cold words. "Sorry. I was under the assumption that we where still friends, but if that's how you feel" a shaken Booth said.

"Booth, we stopped being friends the day you up and left us here. We'd just lost one friend, how do you think it felt losing you as well" Angela yelled getting out of her chair. "You where her best friend Booth and you just gave up. How could you do that to her"

Booth looked up at Angela visibly shaken by her words. "Do you think I wanted to leave?" he yelled "It almost killed me not being able to…" he stopped mid sentence staring past Angela at the picture hanging on the wall. It was of the office Christmas party and was taken a few months before Temperance went missing. Booth had finally convinced her to come and Angela had taken the shot just as Booth wrapped his arm and Temperance's waist to give her a kiss under the mistletoe.

"She almost killed me after I kissed her that night" he whispered to himself feeling the tears that he had fought back for the last two years rising again.

"What?" asked Angela confusedly turning around "Oh god" she said realising what Booth had been looking at.

"Seeley" she said turning towards the man in front of her and pulling him in for a hug.

Suddenly the tears he had been holding in for two years came out. He grabbed onto Angela as he sobbed into her shoulder. The others stood back as Booth cried. After a few minutes he stepped back, "I'm sorry" he said suddenly realising that in his moment of weakness he had cried in front of the them. Something he had sworn never to do again.

"Its okay sweetie" said Angela smiling weakly at him.

"We'll help you solve the case, I promise" she said looking into his eyes. "That's what friends are for."

**A/N that was kind off a happy ending, in some ways but i promise you that the next chapter will have more of the case, I might even bring in Temperance. You'll just have to keep reading.**


	3. The Women in the Closet

**A/N Thankyou to everyone who has reviewd. Here is chapter three.**

Maura sat in her office looking over the crime scene photos from their latest victim.

"Who are you?" she said to herself, wishing the women would come out of the photo and identify herself. The ringing of the telephone caught her by surprise and she stopped with her hand on the receiver for a second to catch her breath. _This case has got you too worked up Maura_ she thought to herself.

"Hello, Agent Booth speaking"

"You know it sounds really weird hearing someone else say that" came the voice of her brother on the other end.

"Seeley" she exclaimed happy to be hearing from him "Are you on your way down?" she asked.

"Yep" he replied "And I even was able to convince the others to come down with me"

Maura let out a sigh of relief "That's good, we could really do with their help"

"Well they are the best" said Booth.

"You want the low down on the case" Maura asked getting down to business.

"That would be great, I'll put you on speaker phone so the others can hear as well." said Booth "we're just coming off the highway so we should be there soon"

"Okay. Last Friday night one of the guys who own property on the edge of town found a body on the riverbanks. According to the coroner she was bound around her ankles and wrists, probably with rope, then she was hit in the chest and stomach multiple times with a long flat object"

"Was that the cause of death" asked Booth.

"No. Afterwards she was strangled and the body was kept frozen for two weeks before being dumped on the riverbanks" Maura continued.

"Does she have an ID yet" asked Cam, joining the conversation.

"No. Three days later another body was found and then two days after that the latest victim was found down stream. All of the scenes where the same and none of the girls have ID's yet"

"So we have a serial killer" said Booth. "Well Angela can get sketches started of the victims when we arrive and the rest of us will look over the cases"

"That sounds fantastic" said Maura.

"Do you have any suspects yet?" asked Hodgins.

"No, well not really" said Maura.

"What do you mean by not really?" asked Booth.

"Well, my friend down here, Taylor Bronx. She's helped me on a few of my latest cases, including this one. Nothing major, just helping me run through scenarios" explained Maura.

"So what's wrong?" asked Booth.

Maura paused for a second "She just knew a few too many details about the case, details that only the coroner and I knew. It could be nothing but it seemed a bit suspicious"

"Okay then, we'll talk to her when we get there, which should be in a couple of minutes" said Booth.

"Okay, bye" said Maura hanging up.

"Hey there" said Taylor coming through the door with Lilly on her hip.

"Oh god" said Maura spinning around in her chair "You scared me"

Taylor smiled at her "Who did you think I was, the killer" she asked jokingly.

"No" answered Maura weakly. The two stared at each other for a few moments Taylor smiling at Maura and Maura trying to get her thoughts in order. _Taylor is not involved_ she tried telling herself. The silence was broken by a knock at the door.

"Who's that?" asked Taylor as she tried to settle Lilly in her lap.

"My brother" aid Maura relieved that he had finally showed up. _I'll be safe with him_ she thought.

"Your brother" said Taylor her smile vanishing.

"Yeah" said Maura moving into the other room towards the door.

"I thought you said he was coming down in a few days" asked a worried Taylor.

"Um, well he's here now. Why? Is that a problem?" asked Maura.

"No" Taylor forced out. She heard the door open and Maura squeal as she welcomed her brother and his friends inside.

"Hey there little sis" she heard Booth say. _Oh, that voice_ she thought, now panicking. _What am I going to do?_

"Anyway" said Maura leading Booth and the others into her office "I'd like you all to meet my friend Taylor and her daughter Lilly" she said turning around to face her friend.

"Taylor?" she asked "where did you go."

"This isn't looking good for her" said Booth referring to the sudden disappearance of her friend.

"No" said Maura shocked "Taylor can't be involved. I'd know if she was Booth, she's my best friend"

"I know this is hard Maura" said Booth turning towards his sister "But you where the one who suggested she was involved" The team was quietened by the sound of a baby crying out.

"Shh" said Hodgins "did you here that?"

"Yeah" said Booth "It came from upstairs" he whispered pulling out his gun.

"Where'd you get that?" asked Maura.

"That doesn't matter. Just stay back" he said lightly running up the stairs. Together he and Maura cleared all the rooms until they came to Maura's room.

"Clear" whispered Maura.

"In there" whispered Booth pointing to the closet.

"Three, two, one" he whispered before flinging open the doors.

He stared down at the women huddled up in the corner hugging Lilly to her chest. She turned her head to look up at Booth.

"Oh god" he whispered recognising the women in the closet.

**A/N please read and review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Here is the fourth chapter. Not alot is explained in this chapter and it opens up alot more questions so it might seem a little thin but i promise you it is all connected and will be explained in the next few chapters. Please read and review.**

Booth stood in shock staring at the woman in front of him.

"Booth what's going on?" asked Maura taking a few steps towards him.

"Is this your friend Taylor?" he asked turning slowly to look at her.

"Yes, why?" said Maura "Seeley talk to me, your scaring me"

"Well" he paused "I can start by telling you her name isn't Taylor Bronx"

"No" yelled Taylor jumping up from her spot on the floor in an attempt to stop Booth from telling Maura her name. But he beat her to it.

"It's Temperance Brennan"

"Oh god" whispered Temperance looking frantically around the room. She thrust a complaining Lilly into Maura's arms.

"Maura, I know this is a big shock but I need you to trust me. Someone is coming. I need you to take Lilly and the others and get them out of town as soon as possible"

"No" said Maura shaking her head "for all I know you're the killer, I mean you knew all the case details and now your not even who you say you are"

"Maura, please" pleaded Temperance "When they come they're going to kill me and if you're here they won't hesitate to kill you too." She turned to look Maura in the eye. "If I make it out of this I promise I will explain everything, but until then you have to trust me"

"They'll kill you" whispered Booth.

"Yes" said Temperance, tears welling up in her eyes. "Now you all have to leave" she said following Maura out of the room.

"Wait" said Booth grabbing her arm. Temperance shrank back away from his touch. She slowly lifted her face to look him in the eyes for the first time in two years. "I'm not leaving you here to die Temperance" he said forcibly.

_Oh god_ thought Temperance.

"Booth, this isn't your fight."

"To hell it isn't Temperance" he yelled turning away from her.

"I gave up my job, I even moved away from my son just to try and get you out of my head after you left. I've been through hell and back trying to deal with this and I can't. So if you think for a second that I'm going to let you stay here by yourself and die your don't know me at all"

Temperance grabbed onto his arm and turned him to look at her. "Do you think I wanted to leave, Booth? Every single day I have to wake up and pretend to be someone I'm not, I have to pretend that I didn't leave a whole lifetime behind me" she yelled letting the tears spill out over her cheeks.

"Damn it Temperance, don't you get it" he yelled grabbing her shoulders.

"Get what" she yelled back looking up into Booth's pained face.

"I love you" he said.

"I love you so damn much that for the last two years I've been going through hell trying to find you and it's scaring me Temperance. I've never felt like this before and it's so strong that even the thought of letting you stay here is too much to bear" He pulled her against him ad wrapped his arms around her slim figure.

Temperance leaned into his embrace feeling the warmth of his arme for the first time in two years.

"Now, we're going to go downstairs and get the others out of here before who ever 'they' are comes. And then we're going to fight them"

"You know most people wouldn't put there life on the line for something they know nothing about for someone they haven't seen in two years" said Temperance offering Booth a small smile.

"Well we never exactly where ordinary people, were we Bones" replied Booth using her nickname for the first time in two years.

A few minutes later Booth rejoined Temperance in the bedroom, bringing with him Maura's gun and a key.

"Luckily since this is also the police station Maura left me the key for the gun vault" he said.

"Did they others ask many questions?" asked Temperance.

"No" replied Booth "Maura's a bit shaken up but luckily the others didn't hear us yelling. I just told them that you escaped out the back window and had left the baby in the closet. I told them to go back to the hotel with Maura while I finished up here. They didn't suspect anything. Maura's going to explain what she knows when they get further enough away".

"Okay, that's good" Temperance said nodding her head.

"Where should we set up?" asked Booth.

"Well they'll most likely come to the front of the station. So we should set up their Booth" said Temperance walking past him and out of the room.

"Temperance" he said trying to get her to slow down. "Are you okay?" he asked following her into the open station.

"No" she said walking around the station to lock all the windows.

"Okay then" said Booth slightly shocked by her openness.

"Did the change of identity make you more open or are you just trying to mess with me?" he asked.

"No" replied Temperance again "I just figured that if I'm about to die I may as well be open with you" she stated matter of factly.

"Hey" said Booth opening up the gun vault. "Do you really think I would be standing here fighting against people I don't even know if I believed they where capable of defeating us?" asked Booth grabbing a few of the guns.

"God, these look like they haven't seen any action since they where put in there" he said looking at them.

"They probably haven't" said Temperance. "Maura is the only officer around here and we haven't had any real cases for years. Not including the current one" she added.

"I'm going to try and look past the case until we at least get out of this situation" said Booth.

Temperance walked over and lowered the gun from Booth's hands. "I know it looks like I'm involved but I promise you I'm not" she said looking him straight in the face/.

"Okay" he said, believing the truth in her eyes.

"You know what I said before about loving you, it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing" said Booth. Temperance's only response was to look up at him. "Just thought I'd let you know" he added ducking his head in embarrassment.

"Booth" said Temperance "I, I…"

Her sentence was interrupted by the ringing of her mobile. She flipped it open to reveal she had received a message.

"What does it say?" asked Booth craning his neck to see the message.

"Times up" whispered Temperance, followed quickly by the ringing of two bullets flying past, missing her head by an inch.

"Down" yelled Booth handing her a gun.

"You ready for this?" asked Temperance looking over at Booth.

"Ready as I'll ever be" he replied grinning at her.

"3, 2, 1" they yelled together before jumping up behind the window sill to fire back.

**A/N So what did you think? Are you evn more confused than before. If so then all will be revealed soon. Please review, You never know i might let you in on some of the secrets.**


	5. Lilly and the bookshop owner

**A/N Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It's really great to know you like the story. This chapter and the next are explaning what's happened in the last wto years so they are pretty long. Hope you enjoy!**

Booth analysed the scene in front of him. Three cars had pulled up out side the station with two guys in each. One was behind the drivers door of each car, one was in the front seat and two where shooting from behind the boot of the cars.

"You go for the ones behind the doors and I'll take the rest" Booth said to Temperance, sending a few bullets over the window, one hitting the man inside the car.

"Okay" answered Temperance ducking down to avoid the rain of bullets coming their way. When they had finished she jumped up again to send a few of her own straight at the man behind the car.

"Nice shot" said Booth wincing as a bullet narrowly missed his head.

"I'm surprised no one has come down, the shots aren't exactly quiet" noted Booth shooting at the men behind the boot.

"Well people around here mind their own business" answered Temperance taking out another of the guys who retaliated by sending rain of shots straight at the pair.

"Arghh" yelled Booth dropping to the floor.

"What happened?" Temperance asked leaning down next to him "Did you get hit?"

"Yeah" replied Booth breathing in deeply "It only grazed me though; you keep going, I'll be up in a minute" His only response was the loud crack of the gun as Temperance sent a rain of bullets straight at the head of the guy who shot him.

_Guess she really does care_ thought Booth grinning to himself.

"How many left?" he asked looking around the corner of the door to try and get a look.

"Only two now" replied Temperance concentrating on the guy behind the door of the car.

"Oy" yelled the other man waving to his partner. The two jumped in the car and speed of down the dirt road leaving only a cloud of dust and bullet cases as evidence of anything taking place.

"They gone?" asked Booth slowly peeking his head up to look out the window.

"Yeah" panted Temperance dropping down to lean against the wall.

"Told ya we'd survive" grinned Booth. Temperance replied with a glare though her anger was forgotten as soon as she saw the blood stain growing on Booth's shirt.

"Let me have a look at you arm" she said moving over next to him.

"No" said Booth shying way from her touch

"What?" asked a bewildered Temperance leaning back to rock on her heals.

"You'll prod it and poke it and then it will hurt more" said Booth sounding like Parker.

"Booth" said Temperance clearly getting frustrated with the man in front of her. "Those men almost killed us, and they will be back soon with more guys. We need to get out of here fast but I can't do that until I know you are good and won't faint on me some where out in the bush, okay" she said talking to him like you would a small child.

"Fine then" he pouted, gingerly pulling away his shirt to reveal where the bullet had grazed his skin. Temperance looked at the wound trying to figure out how to treat it. After a few seconds she got up to grab the first aid kit from the cupboards.

"So you going to tell me why 6 men with guns where trying to kill you?" asked Booth leaning back against the wall "Or what you've been doing for the last two years?"

Temperance sighed and turned to look at her old partner. He deserved the truth, after all he had put his life on the line to save her without knowing why, but telling him would bring up some thing's she wasn't ready to face yet and put him in as much risk as her.

"Can I start with the second question?" asked Temperance pulling out the antiseptic cream and gently rubbing it against his wound.

"Sure" stuttered Booth, clamping his jaw to stop himself from gasping out in pain.

"After I disappeared I moved down here as Taylor Bronx" started Temperance "I opened up a small book shop down the street"

"Bookshop owner" said Booth smirking "I can imagine that"

"Anyway" continued Temperance. "Business is pretty slow, but living in a place like this you don't need too much money, plus I had some saved up from before. I met Maura about a week after moving down here. Some one had broken in to the shop next door and she was heading up the case"

"Did you know she was my sister?" asked Booth.

"No" replied Temperance wrapping a bandage around Booth's arm. "I actually broke down crying when she was interviewing me" she said blushing.

"What?" asked a surprised Booth.

"I'd just found out I was pregnant so I was pretty emotional and I guess I couldn't hold it in any longer"

"Wait" said Booth laying a hand on Temperance's arm. "You where pregnant?" he asked shocked by this latest piece of news.

"Yeah, the little girl I handed to Maura when you found me was my daughter, Lilly. She's 11 months old" answered Temperance smiling slightly as she mentioned her daughter's name.

"Wow" said Booth.

"Yeah" whispered Temperance finishing of the bandage and realising she was practically leaning against Booth very toned, very bare chest. Her breath caught in her throat as she remembered the last time she had seen Booth with no shirt on.

"You remember what happened last time we where in this position?" whispered Booth mirroring her thoughts. Temperance nodded meekly.

"Lilly's mine isn't she?" asked Booth softly

"Yes" nodded Temperance tears welling in her eyes for the second time that day.

"Hey, no tears" said Booth brushing them a way with his thumb. "Now we have to get out of here and find the others. Then you have to explain to me what's going on and we'll get it all sorted out"

"No" said Temperance leaning away from him. "You've already gotten hurt. I can't let you put yourself in that kind of danger. There's still time for you to get out of here and be safe without being involved"

"Temperance" said Booth trying to get her attention. "Bones" he yelled quietly.

"There is a baby girl out there who is probably scared out her mind because her mother isn't there. Now that girl is also my daughter, granted I only found out a few minutes ago, but I am not going to let her grow up without her mother. Thirty minutes ago you thought we would be dead, but look at us now. We can make it through this but you have to let me in. Please let me in, if not for you then do it for Lilly"

"Okay" said Temperance. "So your okay with having another child then?" she asked apprehensively.

"Are you kidding? I've always wanted a daughter" he answered grinning at her, laying her unease to rest.

"So, you're the expert on this place. Where do we go from here Bones?"

"There's an old house in the forest that I go to sometimes. It has reception but it is also pretty desolated so they shouldn't find us there. If we can get to it we can ring Maura and get her to pick us up and then I'm not sure"

"That doesn't matter, as long as we get out of this town. Its way to creepy for me" said Booth following her out the door and into the open bush.

**A/N So, what do you think? Please review, it makes my day.**


	6. explanations and tears

**A\N Here is my next chapter. It pretty much explains why Temperacne disappeared, but don't worry not everything is explained yet. I'm a bit nervous about putting this chapter up because i don't know how people will respond to why she went missing but please review telling me what you think. **

Booth struggled down the track after Temperance. The midday sun glared down upon them and cast strange shadows through the tall trees, making the pair jump every few minutes. Obviously the shoot out had rattled them more than they where willing to let each other know. Temperance turned around to look at Booth. She was worried his arm was causing him pain but when she had mentioned this he just shrugged it off reminding her of his time spent as a sniper and the numerous other battle wounds he had. Even so, she had mentioned, there was still the chance of infection and she didn't want to think of what would happen if the men found them and Booth was unable to fight back.

_I just won't let them find us_ she thought defiantly and quickened her pace through the bush trail.

"Hey Bones" yelled Booth from behind. Temperance smiled lightly. When she had been sent away she had made a list of all the things she would miss, hoping that having it down on paper would make it hurt less. Never in a million years would she have thought that, that nickname would be the thing she yearned for most, but now, hearing it again, she realised that the name meant Booth and Booth meant home.

"Yeah" she called back.

"I've been thinking and I've come to the conclusion that after getting shot in the arm and trekking through the bush in blistering heat you owe me an explanation as to why I'm doing it" he answered.

'I never asked you to help me, you're the one who insisted on coming so why are you complaining" she retorted.

"Sorry but it was the only way I could think of getting you to tell me" he responded, grinning cheekily at her. Temperance whacked him playfully in his uninjured arm.

"Fine then" she said, her smiling vanishing as she thought of what she was about to tell him.

"Do you remember the case we where working when I went missing?" she asked slowing her pace so that the pair where walking side by side.

"Yeah" said Booth "Max Aloisi was found straggled and dumped in a garbage bin, we had no leads so after you went missing the case went cold"

"Anyway" said Temperance glad that Booth remembered the case in detail "the night I went missing I stayed back at the lab. The guard on duty found a package left on the doorsteps that was addressed to me, inside was about 15 documents linking Aloisi to ring of guys buying and selling goods on the black market"

"I never liked that guy" muttered Booth "So what where they selling?"

"That's the thing" said Temperance "They where selling people"

"What" spluttered Booth "What for?"

"Some where young women sold into prostitution, others where children, illegally adopted. But either way they where getting a lot of money out of it" stated Brennan.

"Wait" said Booth, confused "if this was as big as you say how come no one has picked up on it yet. I mean an operation that big that has been running for years has to put up a few radars somewhere"

"They probably have" said Temperance "But the other thing the documents contained was evidence that it was being run by some one in the FBI, someone high up who could make something like this go away"

"God" muttered Booth, stopping for a second "So how does you getting kidnapped fit into all of this?"

"Well, I was on my way to your house, right after I rang you, but I was intercepted by two agents, Blackwater and Hammond, they had known about the ring and been tracking it's progress trying to find out who was in charge. They had wires tapped and had picked up on a conversation between two of the guys involved. Apparently they had found out I knew, how exactly I don't know, but the agents told me if I wanted to survive the night I had to come with them. That night I was flown down here and became Taylor Bronx and that morning you guys where told I had disappeared"

"Wow" whispered Booth leaning back to rest against a rock. He had tried to think up all the possibilities as to why Temperance had disappeared but he had never suspected a rogue FBI agent running human sales. "How were Blackwater and Hammond keeping track of the ring if an agent was in charge?" he asked.

"They where practically the only ones in the Bureau who knew about the operation, that's why you couldn't be told about my disappearance"

"And probably why they made my life hell trying to find you" added Booth.

"Did you really leave the Bureau?" asked Temperance.

"Yeah" said Booth "They wouldn't let me find you so I handed in my badge and gun and told them that until they were willing to let me find my partner they wouldn't hear from me again. So I have been working odd jobs in a nice suburb outside of LA while going through hundreds of leads trying to find you" answered Booth "It's not the ideal job but it's good enough" he added jokingly.

"Why would you do that?" asked Temperance quietly "Why would you walk away from your job and your son just to find me?"

"Temperance" he said before stopping "Why did we have Lilly?" he asked suddenly, surprising her.

"I don't know what that means" she stated flatly.

"I didn't think you would" said Booth "But think about it. The chances of us having Lilly after a drunken one night stand aren't too high but we where still blessed with her and you know why? Because I love you. Only people who love each other are lucky enough to have children"

"That's not true Booth and you know it. There are no facts to support that. People have children when…"

"Okay, I had the talk when I was in year 5 Bones" he said cutting her off "But that's facts speaking, what does your heart tell you?" he asked.

Temperance slowly lifted her head to look at Booth. His eyes where pleading with her for an answer so she gave him the only one she could "My hearts telling me that I wish you would stop saying you love me" she whispered.

"What? Asked Booth stepping back.

"Booth, things aren't the way they where two years ago" she said, starting to get angry with him.

"You're right. Two years ago we where dancing around each other and now where stuck in the middle of nowhere, with a daughter, and we're still dancing around each other" he replied sarcastically.

"Booth I'm serious" Temperance answered coldly before turning on her heel and walking up the hill "the cabin is just up here" she muttered over her shoulder.

Booth stood still trying to figure out what had just happened. He was so enveloped in his own thoughts that he missed the few lone tears that escaped down Temperance cheek and hit the dirt path behind her.


	7. Temperance, Taylor or the candle stick m

**A/N here is my last chapter before i go on holidays for two weeks without a computer. Hope you like it. I will update when i get back **

Maura sat down on the motel room bed gently rocking Lilly to sleep.

"Who are you?" she whispered gently to the little girl "Or better yet, who is your mother?"

Lilly opened her big blue eyes and stared up at Maura solemnly. It still amazed Maura how someone so small could look so much like an adult one minute and be the cute-as-a-button little girl she was other times.

"She asleep yet?" asked Angela walking into the room.

"Almost" whispered Maura.

"She's very cute" said Angela sitting down on the bed. Maura only nodded in response. Her mind was still reeling from this morning's events and she wasn't quite sure how to explain to the others that the friend they believed to be dead was in fact quite alive with a daughter and currently the lead suspect in a murder investigation. Her thoughts were interrupted by the others walking into the room.

"Hey do you know when Booth's coming back?" asked Cam, beginning to wonder where he had gotten to.

"He's not" answered Maura.

"What" said Angela turning towards Maura, shock apparent on her face.

"I lied to you before, when we left the station" explained Maura "Taylor hadn't escaped out the window"

Hodgins sat down next Angela trying to make sense of the situation "Why would you say that then?"

"It wasn't my idea to lie to you; Taylor told me that if I didn't get you guys and Lilly out of the house we would be killed"

"What and you believed her. You said she was the lead suspect in the case. For all we know she's already killed Booth and is halfway to Mexico" yelled Cam.

Lilly let out a squeal in annoyance.

"Thanks, now you've woken her up" muttered Maura, trying in vain to settle Lilly again.

"Guy's where not getting any where by fighting. Obviously Booth didn't think Taylor was the killer other wise he wouldn't have stayed with her by him self, would he" interrupted Zack who was by now very sick of listening to everyone fight. An awkward silence filled the room that was only broken when Lilly started babbling to herself.

"What's she saying?" asked Angela, smiling at Lilly who in turn smiled back shyly.

"Oh nothing, she just babbles to herself sometimes when things get to quiet" said Maura "Do you want to hold her?" she asked, before placing the baby in Angela's waiting arms.

"Hello there" Angela said to Lilly, bouncing her up and down on her knees. Angela looked up to smile at Hodgins. The two had yet to discuss children but the thought was beginning to worms it way into Hodgins mind and now seeing her with Lilly he realised just how good a mother she would be.

Lilly gently patted Angela on the face "Mama, mama" she babbled.

"No" said Angela playfully "I'm Angela"

"Mama" Lilly insisted, clearly getting frustrated that know one understood her.

"Why is she saying that?" asked Cam.

"I don't know" said Maura, slightly uncomfortable with the fact that Lilly recognised Angela.

"That's not your mummy" she told Lilly.

"No" whined Lilly "Mama" she said tears welling up in her eye's.

"'Maybe she's seen you with Taylor before" suggested Hodgins.

"But I've never met Taylor in my life" said Angela.

"What about in a photo" suggested Zack.

"No" said Angela.

"Yes she has" answered Maura, mentally kicking herself that she hadn't remembered this sooner.

"How" asked Angela.

"Because you have met Taylor before, all off you have in fact" she said turning to look at them. _Well it's now or never_ she thought.

"The reason Booth stayed behind with Taylor was because he recognised her" she explained.

"What, how come he didn't tell us he knew her?" asked Angela.

"Because he knew her as some one other than Taylor Bronx. I didn't want to tell this to you guys just yet because it's very big news and I'm still getting used to it my self, but now I guess I have to" she paused for a second before looking up again. "Taylor Bronx is also Temperance Brennan"

Maura watched the team react to the news. Cam handled it the best out of the group, Zack and Hodgins where just plain surprised having thought she was dead, but Angela took it the hardest out of them all. Losing her best friend had changed her and if she hadn't had Hodgins with her she most likely would have ended up like Brennan was, alone and unsociable. Now suddenly hearing that her friend was alive, and holding her daughter in her hands Angela didn't feel anything but numb.

"Ang" whispered Hodgins, gently shaking her shoulder.

"Yes" she replied suddenly snapping out of her thoughts.

"Are you okay" he asked gently.

Angela felt the tears welling up in her eyes the same way Booth had the other day. But instead of keeping them inside like he had she set them free, clingy on to Hodgins shoulder to keep her self from falling. Hodgins tried to say something to her but all he could do was place a hand on her head and gently stroke her hair as she cried.

"She's alive" whispered Angela a few minutes later, some how managing a small smile.

"Yeah" chocked out Hodgins.

"And this is her daughter" realised Angela. "Hey there sweetheart" she said to Lilly.

"I'm your aunty Angela, and this is Uncle Jack" she said introducing her self to her best friend's daughter.

"And see those people over there, that's uncle Zack and aunty Cam, and I wish I could introduce you to your uncle Seeley but he's with your mummy" finished Angela, before turning the little girl to look at her. "God, you look like your mummy"

The moment was interrupted by Maura's phone going off.

"Hello" she answered.

"Taylor" she whispered looking up at Angela. "Yeah I'm here with them" she said before passing the phone in Angela's direction.

"Me" said Angela surprised, before taking the phone.

"Bren" she whispered.

"Hey" replied Temperance.

"Oh god, It's really you" said Angela felling the tears coming again.

"I missed…" she stopped for a second before dropping the phone to the floor.

"What's wrong?" asked Angela. "Bren?"

"Oh good, It's just you John" she heard Temperance say. There was a scuffle that sounded like someone grabbing someone else and then Temperance yelled out. "John what are you doing?" followed by the sound of guns being fired. "Temperance" yelled Angela into the phone. "Temperance!"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Well I'm back from holidays and come bearing a new chapter. To anyone who was confused about John, go back and read the ending of the first chapter, otherwise i hope you enjoy this next part. WARNING: this chapter is a bit darker than my others. Nothing really scary but i thought i would warn you about the ending. **

5 minutes earlier.

Temperance stole a quick glance in Booth's direction as he sat down on the floor. He winced in pain as his elbow collided with the wall behind him.

"Are you okay?" asked Temperance sitting down opposite him.

"I'm fine" he muttered through clenched teeth.

Temperance sighed before turning to face away from him. "No your not" she replied though she didn't try and help him. 'If he want's to ignore me, let him' she thought letting an awkward silence fill the small room. Booth broke it a few minutes later.

"Are you going to ring the others?" he asked "Or are we going to be stuck in this hell hole forever?"

"Fine" she huffed. She picked up her phone and dialled in Maura's number.

"Hello" said Maura.

"Maura, it's me" she answered. She wasn't sure how Maura was taking the news of her really being temperance so she decided to stick with Taylor for now.

"Taylor" whispered Maura.

Temperance smiled, 'at least she's talking to me' she thought "Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm here with them" replied Maura.

"Good" nodded Temperance. "Can I talk to Angela?"

'Me' she heard Angela say over the line. "Bren?"

Temperance fought back the tears welling up in her eyes. "Hey" was all she could manage in response.

"Oh god, it's really you" cried Angela.

"I missed" she started but was interrupted by the door being knocked down. She spun around reaching to grab what ever was nearest and in the process dropping the phone.

"Oh good, it's just you John" she said in relief, spotting the FBI agent standing at the door. John looked straight at her before turning towards the man seated next to him on the floor. He grabbed Booth by the collar and heaved him up against the door frame, rubbing his hand against Booth's gun shot wound in the process. Booth screamed out in pain.

"John" yelled Temperance "What are you doing"

John swivelled around, letting Booth slump to the ground, pulled out his gun and let a few rounds fly straight at her.

Temperance crashed down against the floor, narrowly missing the bullets aimed at her head. "Temperance" she could hear Angela yelling on the other end of the phone.

'the phone' she thought.

"How did you find me John?" she yelled.

"What do you mean, you always come up here you idiot" he spat.

"That's right I do, whenever I want to be alone this is the place I come to" she continued, praying that some one on the phone was still listening.

"What ever" yelled John before slapping her in the face with the gun. She fell to the floor, slumped against the chair.

"Didn't even fight" laughed John kneeling over to toss her over his shoulder. "You're losing your touch Temperance"

Brennan woke up to the strong throbbing of her head and darkness.

'Where am I' she thought stretching her hands out. She jumped back as her hands touched wood. She felt all around her but she was boxed in on all sides.

"Booth" she called out in vain.

"Sorry Booth's not available right now" snickered someone from outside the box.

Temperance jumped again in surprise as the box jolted. 'So I'm in a box, inside a car' she thought grimly. She blinked a few times. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark she could see a sliver of light coming in, in front of her. She peeked through. Form what she could see she deciphered that her and Booth where both in separate boxes in the back of a truck. She could see the heads of the guys driving the truck. One was John but the other she didn't know. She leaned back against the wooden sides of the box.

"How could I have been so stupid" she chastised herself.

"You couldn't have known he was in on this" she mentally countered. "He was the FBI after all, the same as Booth"

She sighed again. All she could do was wait till they stopped.

The opportunity presented it self a few minutes later when she was thrown forward by the car stopping. A few seconds later the doors where thrown open and the lid was lifted up off the box. Temperance readied herself to fight off the men but as she went for the one in front off her John grabbed her from behind, sticking his hand over her mouth.

"Now, no funny business Temperance or you see your friend over there" he pointed towards Booth lying unconscious next to them "My friends will see to it that he doesn't wake up again. Understand?"

Temperance nodded in agreement.

"Good" he snickered. He let his grip loosen around her and she momentarily dropped to the round. John turned to walk away but then spun back around as if forgetting something. Temperance turned towards him expecting one last threat but all she got was wack to the head with John's gun again, and everything went black.

When she woke the throbbing in her head had in creased again and she could hear screams in the background. She looked around her. She was in a basement of some sort and Booth was no where to be seen. The screaming continued as if the person in question was being tortured. Temperance wrapped her arms around her head to try and stop the screaming penetrating her ears, but it only seemed to make it worse. She tried again. Something about the screaming was making her feel sick and as realisation dawned on her she turned quickly to the sides emptying the contents of her stomach on the way. A few tears escaped down her cheeks as she leaned back. It wasn't just any man screaming from the torture down the hall.

It was Booth.

**A/N So, did ya like it. Please let me know. I promise i won't kill Booth off if you do review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N New chapter up. Sorry about the cliffhanger at the end but i had to stop somewhere. it will all be explained in the next chapter i promise...**

Temperance sat huddled up against the wall of the basement crying uncontrollably. Whenever Booth's screams filled the silence she wrapped her arms tighter around her head. 'You have to do something' she told herself but all she could do was sit there, frozen to the spot, sobs racking her body. Suddenly silence filled the room again, she listened out for Booth's cries but they didn't come. She peeked her head up over her arms and swallowed the rest of her tears. There was another noise now, footsteps, walking towards her door. She scrambled back against the wall as the door swung open. John stood in the door frame, a half smile plastered to his face. "Did you enjoy the show?" he snickered as he walked towards her. Temperance glared up at him. "What did you do to Booth?" she asked.

"Booth" repeated John "I just asked him a few questions" he replied innocently before sending a smile in Temperance's direction. "It didn't sound like it" she muttered. John leaned in towards her till his face was hovering just above Temperance's.

"Well your partner should have thought about that before he refused to say anything"

"Bastard" whispered Temperance before spitting in his face. John leaned closer in and Temperance could see the anger flash across his face. She closed her eyes in defence against what he would do but he composed him self quickly, instead laughing quietly and saying "Still have that temper I see"

Temperance smiled up at him "Still a coward I see" she retorted "Where you there when you're men attacked Booth or could you not watch?" she asked looking for his reaction. She got what she had hoped for. John raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face before storming out of the room. Temperance leaned back against the wall holding her stinging face in her hands. Despite the pain she was glad. John was unstable and if she could get him that angry again he would be more likely to make mistakes giving her a chance to get out and find Booth.

John stormed down the basement corridor. "Did she speak?" asked his partner.

"No" he muttered sitting down in his chair. He looked at the monitor which was showing Booth lying down, facing away form the camera. John smiled, an idea forming quickly in his mind. "I want you to pay another visit to Mr Booth but this time he only need's to scream once" he instructed.

"Okay" responded his partner "Are you going to tell me why?"

"You'll see"

Maura speed the car up towards the cabin, praying that Booth and Brennan where still there.

"Why exactly are we going here again?" asked Hodgins.

"Because when Taylor"

"Temperance" corrected Hodgins, Angela and Zack.

"When she called out 'this is where I come when I want to be alone' she was sending us a message as to where they were" Maura explained.

"And are you sure this is the place?" asked Zack.

"Yes, this is the only place she comes to beside the bookshop and the station"

They drove up the driveway and jumped out of the car, running over to the cabin to peek inside. "There's no one here" stated Zack.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" asked Angela.

"Well I can't think of any other" answered Maura, though she was beginning to doubt herself. Her doubt was put to rest a minute later when Hodgins called out from the other side of the house. "Well I don't know if Brennan and Booth where here but some one was" he said pointing to the three gunshot hole's in the side of the cabin.

"Oh god" whispered Angela. "I heard three shot's on the phone"

"Well no one was hit" stated Zack, walking out of the cabin towards them,

"there's no blood inside but I found this" he said handing Maura a photograph.

"Oh my" she gasped.

"What is it?" asked Angela.

"Look" she answered handing the photo over to Angela. Angela's eyes clouded over

"I gave this to Bren the afternoon she disappeared" she explained to the group. Maura smiled over at her remembering the other time she had seen the photo.

_Maura walked down the hallway, ready to call out to Taylor for help carrying the groceries. She stopped when she heard quiet voice's in the other room. Taylor was sitting on the lounge, Lilly on her lap. She was pointing out people in a picture to Lilly. "That's Angela and Hodgins and Zack" she whispered grabbing Lilly's hand to point out the people with her. Maura stretched to see the photo but she could only see the three people already pointed out. "And see that last person" she whispered "That's your Daddy" Maura leaned over even more. If only she could see that last person she would know who he was, but just as she was getting close she knocked the books on the table over. Taylor jumped up stuffing the picture in her pocket. 'Damn' thought Maura. She never got to see the photo again_.

'Until now' she thought. "Give me the photo" she instructed.

"Why?" asked Angela, surprised at the urgency in Maura's voice.

She calmed her voice down a notch before explaining the situation.

"So you're saying the man standing next to Temperance is Lilly's father?" asked Angela a minute later.

"Yes" replied Maura. The group turned to look at the photograph. Zack stood next to Hodgins who had his arm slung around Angela's shoulder. Temperance was standing next to Angela and next to her was Booth, his arm around Temperance's waist and a big smile on his face.

"Oh" gasped Angela.

"Booth's Lilly's father" whispered Maura. The team turned to look over at the car where Cam was watching over a sleeping Lilly.

"So now she has both parents missing" muttered Hodgins.

John walked down to the basement for the second time that day. As he flung open the door Temperance looked up at him. "Still couldn't get your information?" she asked sarcastically.

"Oh don't worry, we will" he assured walking over till he was squatting in front of Temperance.

"Your partner put up a pretty good fight" he told her. Temperance looked questioningly up at him. "Didn't you hear his last scream?" asked John, faking surprise.

"What to you mean last scream?" Temperance inquired choosing to ignore the lone scream that had penetrated the walls a few minutes earlier.

"Oh Temperance" he laughed before turning his voice cold and whispering in her ear.

"Booth's dead"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Sorry this took me so long to write but Iv'e been really busy with school. P.S. The raod kill scene at the ned will be explained more in further chapters. See if you can figure it out...)**

Temperance stared at the drops of water plummeting to the ground in the corner of the basement. "Drip, drip, pause, drip" she counted watching the pattern repeat it self.

John had left around an hour ago, lingering at the door to catch a glimpse of the grieving woman in front of him. At first she had felt like the breath had been knocked out of her, she struggled for each gasp of air causing a sharp pain in her chest. As breathing had become easier and the pain had been reduced to a dull ache she had let herself come to terms with what had been said. Booth, her partner and friend had been killed and it was her fault. 'I should have stopped him from coming with me' she thought. If he hadn't come he would be safe at home with Maura and she would be spared the pain of telling Parker that his father had been killed.

"Parker' she whispered, thinking of the blond haired boy. He would be older now, around 7 years old. 'He shouldn't have to lose his father' she thought. A cool breeze hit her cheek and she wrapped her arms around her face. Where as it coming from though' she thought. There where no windows in the basement and as far as she could tell there were no openings.

"Except the door" she muttered excitedly. She crept over to the door. John had only left it open a crack but it was wide enough for a breeze to break through and big enough for her to notice. She eased it open carefully. There was no one around but there was always the chance John had set her up. He was a smart man and it wasn't like him to make a mistake like this, for all she new he was waiting for her around the corner but that was a chance she was willing to take.

Once she was in the corridor she ran lightly towards where the door ought to be. If she was right the basement was on the left side of the building so an opening mustn't be to far away. She rounded the last corner and sure enough there it was. She smiled slightly before slamming her hands down on the handle to open it.

"Shit" she muttered under the wailing of the alarms. Of course the place was alarmed. 'Oh well, no time to waste' she thought as she slide out into the open night. She froze for a minute, trying to adjust to the darkness. Since the basement had no windows she hadn't know what the time was and had expected it to be light. She turned quickly before continuing on towards the wire fence. The darkness would either work for or against her. If she was lucky she would get away unnoticed but on the other hand it also meant it would be easier to stumble across an unsuspecting guard in the darkness.

She scrambled ahead towards the truck parked near the gates. She was a few meters away before she heard the thumping of footsteps. No doubt the guards coming to get her. 'I wonder if their orders where shoot to kill' she thought briefly, though the whistle of bullets flying past her head a moment later lay any doubt to rest. She ducked down behind the truck before jumping up into the driver's seat and turning the keys lying idly in the socket. 'Idiot's' she muttered as the car speed into life. She crashed through the fence before turning sharply onto the dirt road. She could hear the cars behind her swerving in the dirt as they tried to catch up with her. She allowed her self to look back once to count them. She counted four cars before a bullet flying through the back window caused her to turn back round. Another one hit the tire and the car swerved sharply to the right. 'I have to get off this road' she thought.

She spent the next half hour speeding down the road. She had gotten her self a good lead but there was no doubt in her mind that they would be right behind her. The road had been deserted so far so it was no surprise that when she saw the bright lights of a service station she thought she was seeing things. But as she got closer the light grew stronger and soon she found her self turning into the service station. She parked the car to the side and ran into the bushes. Even if they did come in to look for her, which they most likely would, they would have a hard time spotting her in the darkness.

So for the next hour she lay beneath a prickly bush. She watched the guards come and poke around the truck a bit. They were just about to leave when one called out to the other to drive the truck back to the base. "No" she muttered as the truck jumped into life and speed off, back the way she had come. 'I guess they plan to leave me out here' she thought grimly. She had hardly any money, no supplies and she was extremely tired. She stumbled out onto the driveway off the service station, narrowly missing being run over by an old lady in her car.

"Are you alright dear?" asked the lady, peeking her small head out the window.

"Yes" replied Temperance.

"Well, I wouldn't hang around here if I where you" suggested the lady "There's a bus that comes in a minute that you should catch into town"

"What?" asked Temperance. Why would there be a bus here, at this time of night.

"The bus going into town, it does its last run in about three minutes" explained the lady.

"What's the time?" asked Temperance still confused.

"Oh, it's only 10 o'clock, but really a pretty young lady like you shouldn't be out alone at this time of night".

'Only 10 o'clock' thought Temperance. That meant she had escaped just after the sun had set though it felt like it had been about three in the morning.

"How far away is town?" asked Temperance.

"Only about half an hour, though I wouldn't try walking"

"No I won't" assured Temperance. She walked off towards the lone bus stop. "Thankyou" she called turning around to smile at the lady. She just shook her head and smiled.

"What a strange young girl" muttered the lady before driving home.

Sure enough three minutes later a small bus pulled up in front of the bus stop.

"Are you alright missus?" asked the young man in the driver seat "You look a bit battered up"

Temperance glanced into the mirror, seeing for the first time the extent of her injuries. She had a black eye from where John had slapped her and a neat cut running down the left side of her forehead.

"I'm fine thanks" she muttered before handing over the money. She sat down in the front seat of the tiny bus. There was know one else on the bus and it was slightly unnerving her. 'Better to stay near the driver' she thought 'he seemed harmless'

She was drifting off to sleep a few minutes later when the bus swerved sharply to the right. "Sorry" called the bus driver.

"There was an animal on the side of the road, luckily some one had dragged it over to the side so it won't get hit but I just don't like seeing any animals hurt like that" he explained sheepishly. "Especially when they're dead like that on was"

Temperance just nodded understandingly.

"He was a pretty big one to" continued the driver "Extremely big actually, not sure what he would have been" he paused a second to allow Temperance to talk but she remained quiet. After a second or two more the driver muttered quietly to himself.

"May he rest in peace."

"Yes" agreed Temperance, though the he she was thinking of was a different one all together.


	11. Step back in time

**A/N Firstly i know nothing about how the adoption system works so anything mentioned is from my imagination. If it is wrong i am sincerly sorry. Secondly just so the ending makes more sense this story is set roughly in early 2009 and Parker is about 7. Hope you enjoy...**

Angela peeked her head through the closed hotel door to see her best friend sleeping peacefully, curled up on the bed.

Temperance had stumbled into the hotel a few days earlier, beaten and tired. Through thick tears she had embraced her friends for the first time in two years, telling them how sorry she was while Angela cried with her. Afterwards Maura had sat her down and after pouring her a glass of water had asked her to explain what had happened. Temperance tried her hardest to relay the events of the past 10 hours but all she could see was the look in Booth's eyes before John had struck him the first time. It was the last time she had seen his eyes open but for the life of her she couldn't remember what colour they were. She sat there, deep in thought going through all the possibilities, while Maura and Angela tried to coax her into speech. After a few minutes of rocking back and forth, deep in her thoughts she had cried out in frustration frightening the surrounding people and waking a sleeping Lilly in the other room. Temperance looked up at Maura, tears where streaming down her face, as she sobbed how sorry she was over and over again. "What for?" asked Maura, kneeling down to embrace her friend. Temperance curled back into herself. She hadn't slept for the better part of the day and her mind was beginning to betray her. She kept hearing Booth's screams one after another, and then they stopped, the same moment his heart stopped beating forever.

"I'm sorry I killed him" she whispered.

"Who, what happened Tay, Temperance?" asked Maura.

"I killed Booth" she whispered. She repeated it over and over till the tears streaming down her face chocked her into silence. Maura shrank back against the wall as Angela let out a strangled sob.

"We have to get her to lye down" instructed Cam through the silence. Hodgins and Zack looked at her questioningly.

"Temperance" she explained "She's exhausted and I'm afraid that if she doesn't get some sleep she might go into shock" The two men nodded in understanding but neither where able to speak. They gently helped Temperance up and lead her to the bedroom where she collapsed in a heap onto the bed, sleep claiming her before her head hit the pillow. She slept on through the next day, not even Lilly's screams could wake her, her body and mind where exhausted beyond anything she had felt before and for the first time in her life she wanted to shut her brain down, to stop the thoughts racing through at a million miles per hour. Just five minutes she begged five minutes where I don't have to see his face and hear his screams. Her only solace lay in Lilly, the daughter she had betrayed, and that was how Angela found her the next morning, curled up on the bed, Lilly lying by her side.

"I was surprised when Maura told me you where Lilly's mother" Angela commented, breaking the silence that filled the room.

When no reply offered itself she continued on "I always thought you didn't want children"

"I didn't" Temperance tired voice filled the stale room sending chills down Angela's spine and causing a cry from Lilly who by now had sensed a deep change in her mother.

"Why did you keep her then, if you didn't want children?" continued Angela.

Temperance sat up slowly lifting Lilly so she was lying in her arms. She looked at Angela through glass blue eyes, as if the tears from last night had frozen in place.

"I didn't have a choice"

"You could have put her up for adoption" questioned Angela, joining Temperance on the bedside.

"I did" commented Temperance a few minutes later.

"After I found out I was pregnant I discussed the situation with Maura. We both agreed the best option was to put her up for adoption. It took a while to find a family for her, especially because I was in witness protection but eventually we found a family who were looking for a child. They had two kids already but the wife had had an accident a few years earlier and couldn't have children any more. They had always wanted three kids so they decided adoption was the option for them two"

"What happened afterwards" prompted Angela through the threatening silence.

"Lilly was about four months old and we had been living with Maura. I wasn't coping with having her at all"

"Post-natal depression?"

"I don't know, that's what the doctors said" shrugged Temperance.

"When we went to meet the family Lilly was really grizzly, she'd been like that all day and I was exhausted. When I handed her over she started screaming and wouldn't stop. I couldn't handle it anymore so I ran away, out of the building"

Angela lay a comforting hand on Temperance's back as she struggled through the story.

"That night I couldn't sleep. My whole body hurt and I broke down completely. I cried until the next morning. After that I went to the lady and told her that she couldn't take Lilly, that I needed her just as much as she needed me"

"She was your family" whispered Angela.

"Yes" nodded Temperance. She drew in a deep breath.

"After that thing got a bit better. I still wasn't very good at being a mother but anything was better than feeling alone again, like I did when my parents left"

"Well, from where I stand you've done a pretty good job" complimented Angela.

"No" whispered Temperance, shaking her head so that the tears in her eyes splashed over Lilly's sleeping face.

"I did the one ting I promised I would never do and that was taking away one of her parents"

"Bren, you didn't kill Booth" insisted Angela.

"Yes I did" she persisted.

"No" said Angela. "John killed him okay; he was the one who pulled the trigger"

"But if he hadn't stayed with me than he would still be alive, wouldn't he Ang"

"That's just as good as saying Maura's responsible for inviting Booth down here or I'm responsible for letting him come. Temperance if you look at what's happened anyone could be responsible but you can't look at the big picture. The truth is Booth was killed by whoever pulled the trigger and that was John" yelled Angela. She prepared herself for the fight coming but Temperance didn't even look at her. She just lay back down on the bed, turning her back to Angela and whispered quietly to her.

"I wish I believed that"

Angela hung her head down in defeat. She didn't even know the woman lying in front of her anymore. The last two years and especially the last few days had changed her and Angela didn't know how to deal with the new Temperance, or Taylor or whoever she was now. She slowly exited the room, looking back only once to see if any fragments of her old friend where still there. She saw nothing though; it seemed as if the old Temperance had died away with her partner…

Doctor Michael Thomson walked briskly down the hospital corridor towards his latest patient. A male, severely bashed had been found earlier that day on the side of the road. He displayed several head, chest and back wounds and boar evidence of injuries prior to his most recent ones. The only explanation Michael could find was torture, but even a crime buff like himself didn't want to consider that thought. He opened the door to the room where the man lay awake now.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked.

"Okay" replied the man.

"Well I have to ask you a few questions is that okay?"

The man nodded in response.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Seeley Booth" he responded.

"Well Mr. Booth what is the last thing you remember?"

"Being hit in the face, hard"

Michael smiled. It was uncommon for a victim to remember being attacked but when I did happen it always made his job easier. "Can you tell me who hit you?"

Booth sat back in thought for a minute. "My girlfriend" he answered. "She had just told me she was pregnant and I had asked her to marry me. She wouldn't though because she thought I was just asking because of the baby. After that she slapped me hard in the face. I can't remember past that point"

Michael sat back confusedly. Booth's recollection couldn't possibly explain the extensive amounts of injuries he had. "Can you tell me your girlfriend name and what year it is?" he asked, dreading the answer he felt was coming.

"Her names Rebecca and its 2002" answered Booth. He looked at the doctor, who smiled grimly. "What's wrong?" he asked.


End file.
